Not Black and White

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Badgers are integral to the rural mythology of England. But the protection of livestock from carriers of disease is not a problem dealt with in The Wind in the Willows or The Tale of Mr Tod. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs estimates that badgers are responsible for between 40 and 50 per cent of cases of tuberculosis in cattle. The Government plans to issue licences to farmers in England to shoot badgers in areas where there is greatest risk. The plan, scheduled to take effect next May, would result in the culling of some 5,000 badgers.